Archive for the ‘Natural Dog Treats’ Category

Recent studies have indicated that up to 50% of dogs can be classified as overweight or obese. Your vet should be looking for weight problems at every checkup, but one easy way to do this on your own is to feel around your dog’s ribs and spine. If you can’t easily feel your dog’s ribcage, she needs to lose a few pounds.

Sometimes, dogs can be overweight because of a medical problem such as hypothyroidism. Certain breeds, such as Scottish Terriers, Beagles, Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, and Rottweilers, also have a genetic propensity to heaviness. In most cases, however, a dog’s weight gain is related to poor feeding practices.

Food Does Not Equal LoveIf your dog is overweight, you must first recognize that your love for your pet does not need to be expressed only in terms of food. Just as emotional eating can cause you to go up a jean size, equating love with food can create an overweight pet. Make a conscious effort to show affection for your dog by taking her out for a walk or playing a game of fetch. She’ll get the exercise she needs and you’ll burn a few extra calories yourself in the process! All you need is 10 to 15 minutes of activity two or three times per day to help bring your pooch’s weight back to a healthy level.

Use Treats WiselyAnother common mistake dog owners make is reinforcing unhealthy behavior with improper use of treats. If you give your dog a treat every time she’s noisy or fussy, she’ll discover that begging produces results. If your dog is overweight, treats should be limited to times when they have a specific purpose — such as using positive reinforcement training to teach your dog to obey commands. The treats you select should also be chosen to provide an added nutritional boost for your dog. For example, Max & Ruffy’s Powerhouse (Sweet Potato & Alfalfa) dog treats are rich in beta-carotene and packed with fiber.

Get Everyone On BoardFinally, make sure that everyone in your household is on board with your plan to help your furry friend lose weight. When a dog has more than one caregiver, it’s common for problems to arise when multiple people are offering her extra food and treats several times per day. This would be the equivalent of you snacking between every meal and then wondering why your diet isn’t working!

Making the decision to offer your dog(s) natural dog treats that are made using only pure human grade ingredients without chemical additives is what it means to feed natural dog treats. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), a voluntary membership association of local, state and federal agencies charged by law to regulate the sale and distribution of animal feeds and animal drug remedies, the term “natural” means:“a feed or ingredient derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices.”

That being stated, a treat that has chemicals added to it would not be considered natural. Here at Max & Ruffy’s, we are sticklers for using only pure, simple, organic ingredients in our products. No chemicals, no additives, no anything you can’t pronounce, just nutritious ingredients from the earth. We strongly beleive that feeding Max & Ruffy’s treats can lend to the total well-being of your companion thereby helping to keep him/her healthy for the future and potentially saving you money on costly vet bills that are often associated with treats and/or diets that contain unnatural preservatives, additives and artificial colorings and flavors.

We hope that this information can help you in making an informed decision regarding the treats that you offer to your companion. Feed natural dog treats, treat with Max & Ruffy’s and contribute to your companion’s well-being!